Saving Shadows
by theangelshavemymind
Summary: The Doctor and the Ponds find themselves in the 15th century. But something's not right, people have been disappearing. Is it the work of something beyond this world? Original story. Please read and review!
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: This is an origional story. I hope I made 11, Amy and Rory sound and act like themselves. And I hope that you enjoy reading it!**

**Reviews are always good.  
**

**Hope you like it!  
**

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**Prologue:**

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The fog hung over the darkened landscape, clinging to the long blades of grass that were being parted by the two figures hurrying quickly through the field. A man and a women, holding hands, whispering softly to each other, making plans, and searching for a secret place that they could call their own.

The boy looked down at his companion. She was the picture of beauty. Long, dark hair fell in cascades upon her shoulders, her rosy cheeks partially hidden by a scarf that was wrapped tightly around her. New snowflakes clung to her long eyelashes. He squeezed her hand and whispered to her as they ran across the empty fields.

"I told you we could get away." He smiled down at her.

She looked up at him, taking in his light features, the blonde hair that fell into his eyes, his cocky smile, and those blue eyes that challenged the brilliance of a summer sky. She smiled and whispered quietly back to him.

"I knew we could. But we're not away yet." She glanced behind her at the town in the distance. The glow of the dim lights from the houses could barely be seen through the fog.

The boy looked quickly behind his shoulder. "They won't come lookin for us out here." He grinned slyly, "They're all too scared."

The girl squeezed his arm and said, "You don't believe those stories, do you?"

"Nah," the boy said, with a wave of his hand, "They're just made up to scare little children into stayin near the town so they don't get lost."

"But what if they're true? What if there really is something out here?" the girl questioned, her eyes wide as she looked around her worriedly.

The boy stopped them in a wide field. Tapping her affectionately on the nose he said softly, "You're workin yourself up. There aint nothing out here and you know it. Now why don't we forget bout those stories, and make some of our own." He winked, making her blush.

He leaned down and pressed his lips softly to hers, her blush traveling quickly across her cheeks. She lifted a hand to cup his cheek, as he snaked an arm round her waist, pulling her closer.

Neither of them noticed the presence of the dark figure watching them from the edge of the field. They were far too absorbed in each other. The figure watched them through lidded eyes, observing the two lovers standing in the lonely landscape.

The figure took a slow step forward, and then another, its feet padding slowly over the snow caked grass. The two people remained oblivious to its presence until it was beside them.

"Can I help you?" the boy asked the figure, pushing the girl behind him and attempting to stare down the stranger.

The face of the person was covered by a large hood, which cast a shadow over everything but the mouth, which was turned up in an evil smile. The skin around the mouth was wrinkled and caked with the remains of a recent meal, and the teeth were slightly pointed at the edges, much like an animal's.

"I said can I help you?" the boy asked again, backing away slowly. He didn't want trouble and he could tell that there was something quite strange about this person that had materialized in the darkness.

The figure shook its head and then it swayed slightly. It lurched forward and fell onto the ground at the boy's feet.

"Are you all right?" the boy asked, bending down and putting a hand out to tap the person on the shoulder.

The girl grabbed his hand away and whispered frantically into his ear, "Leave it. It's not right. There's something wrong with it."

"But they could be hurt," the boy said, wrenching his hand out of her grip. She looked on as he reached a shaking hand down to the cloaked figure. His fingers gripped the cloak, but then he stopped.

"Run." His voice was not his own. It was harsh and deep, louder than it should be, echoing across the fields.

The girl looked worriedly down at the boy. Shaking his shoulder she said softly, "Charles, what's wrong?"

The boy named Charles looked up at her. "I said run, Maybelline." His voice was barely above a whisper.

Maybelline put a hand to her mouth to stifle her scream. Charles's eyes were no longer the soft blue that she had fallen in love with. His irises were now a deep red, glowing in the darkness.

He smiled. This time Maybelline did scream. His teeth were bright red, dripping with blood that could only be his own. He coughed and blood splattered over the snow. Maybelline jumped back in horror as Charles's body convulsed, his red eyes wide. It was then that she noticed the pale fingers gripping his wrist.

Her eyes followed the hand down the arm of the hooded thing that was sprawled out over the snowy ground. As Charles moved, the arm of the thing jerked back and forth, but the rest of the body remained still.

"You're not listening to me, Maybelline." The harsh voice said. Charles had stopped moving. He lay on the grass next to the cloaked figure. He was too still. Only his mouth moved as he spoke.

"Run, Maybelline. Run now." Charles's demonic eyes bored into hers. He pointed to the town and said it again, "Run."

Maybelline obeyed, not daring to look back, running for all she was worth, her unsteady breathing the only sound in the silent fields topped with white.


	2. Chapter 1

**Okay! Chapter 1!**

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A harsh grinding noise echoed through the barren landscape, over the snowy fields, reaching the edge of a dense forest. The noise became louder. It was coming from a blue box that was slowly materializing into view.

The box faded in and out, the noise growing fainter and then louder again as the box came into focus. It was a 1960s style police box, entirely blue with a blinking light at the top, which flickered as the box came into full focus.

The door of the box opened and smoke poured out, followed by a red head and a man holding a large bag. They were quickly joined by a man in a bowtie holding a buzzing device. He yelled to the other two.

"And that's why I told you not to touch that lever! No one in the TARDIS till she's better!" He shut the door of the box and coughed a few times. Then he stroked the wood of the police box, musing, "Sorry, love. I'll be sure to give Rory a good beating for you." He patted the box and then spun around to face his companions.

"What was that, Doctor?" the red head said, crossing her arms and shivering in the cold.

The man called the Doctor pointed to the other man. "It's his fault. He pulled that lever.

"Cause you told me to!" the man yelled.

"No. I told you to pull the lever next to that one."

"But they look exactly the same."

"They do not. Now shut up. I need to think." The Doctor looked over at the shivering woman. "Amy, the bag. There should be something in there to warm you up. Get something for Rory as well. I'm going to go think by that stump over there, because it'll be quieter, and because it looks friendly." He stormed off to a solitary stump, plopped down upon it, crossed his legs and pursed his lips, deep in thought.

Amy sighed and turned to Rory. "Better do as he says." Rory stared blankly at her. She rolled her eyes and grabbed the bag from him. Reaching into it, she strained her fingers down, trying to find something, anything, but her hand clutched at air.

"Doctor!" Amy yelled to the man on the stump, "There's nothing in here!"

"It's a deep bag!" the Doctor yelled back. Amy sighed and passed the bag to Rory, remarking.

"Hold this open for me." He obliged and Amy stuck the top half of her body into the bag. She was almost up to her waist when she found something soft, pulling it out she realized that it was a ridiculously large fur coat. She peered back into the bag, hoping desperately for something else, but all she could see was darkness.

She held the coat at arm's length, wrinkling her nose as the smell of mothballs reached it. She yelled at the Doctor again.

"This all you got?"

The Doctor hopped up off the stump and examined the coat. "Oops. Wrong bag. The other one had the good coats." He frowned, but then he shrugged and said, "But, we'll make do! Come on Pond's! I've got a plan!"

He pulled the coat from Amy's hands and draped one end over Amy's shoulder and the other on Rory's. Then he wiggled in between them, grabbed the ends of the coat and pulled them together, buttoning the buttons so that they were all in the coat, like some strange three headed creature.

Amy glared at the Doctor. "This is your plan. To cram us all in a coat, in the middle of nowhere, with a broken TARIDS."

"She's not broken," the Doctor retorted, "Just resting. She'll be fine in an hour or two, hopefully." He smiled. "And we're not in the middle of nowhere. Look." He pointed in the distance.

Amy squinted into the glaring light that the snow was giving off. She could barely make out a clump of shadowy blocks, which could only be a town.

The Doctor inclined his head toward the town. "We'll head for that town. I'm sure there's something interesting there we can pass the time with. Perhaps we can have ourselves a little adventure." He smiled and stormed forward, dragging the Ponds with him into the fields of white.


	3. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews! Here's Chapter 2!**

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They started off across the brilliant landscape. Everything was covered with snow, white as the sky above them. The three of them cut a strange spectacle, lumbering forward in the coat, trying to coordinate their movements, the Doctor constantly saying that it was better to be warm than mobile.

They arrived at the town, stumbling into it with the coat still wrapped around them. It was a small town, just a few houses and some stores. A large pub loomed above them to their right. The buildings were old and slightly neglected. Winding narrow streets stretched before them, ducking into alleys. The main road stretched through the town, ending at a foreboding forest near the edge of the town.

The Doctor peered up at the pub above them. "This looks like a good place to start." He thrust his hand through a gap in the coat and opened the door.

A burst of warm, musty air flew into their faces. The Doctor pulled them forward and kicked the door shut behind them. They surveyed the pub. It was empty apart from a man at the bar and two men huddled at a table near the back. Like the rest of the town, it was old and slightly rotting. A giant boar's head hung on the back wall.

"Hullo! I'm the Doctor!" the Doctor said, addressing the man at the bar. He extended a hand to him through the gap in the coat. "Pleased to meet you."

The man eyed the Doctor warily; his dark eyes flicking from Amy to Rory and then back to the Doctor. He noticed the Doctor's outstretched hand and shook it saying.

"Tom. Who are your friends?" He pointed to Amy and Rory.

"The Ponds. They're pleased to meet you as well," the Doctor answered, beaming at the man.

"I think it's about time we stopped looking like the world's only three headed human-bear hybrid, Doctor," Amy hissed into the Doctor's ear.

"Right. Of course. Sorry." the Doctor replied, poking both his hands through the gap and unbuttoning the coat. He popped out of the coat and took a seat upon a nearby bar stool, twirling around to face Tom the bartender. Amy and Rory took the two seats to the right of the Doctor. Rory draped the coat over Amy's and his legs.

"So Tom, lovely town you've got here. Mind me asking a strange question. Where is here?" the Doctor looked expectantly at Tom.

"Lampton," Tom replied, "Though I wouldn't be stayin if I was you."

"And why's that?" the Doctor asked, leaning forward.

Tom sighed and looked toward the door. He leaned closer to the Doctor, his voice barely a whisper.

"We're not supposed to talk bout it. But there's been rumors. Sightins. Strange things out on the moor. People gone missin."

"Missing people?" the Doctor asked, clearly intrigued.

Tom nodded. "They go out, at night. Never return. People sayin it's the work of the devil." He shook his head and nervously polished a glass. "I'd hit the road soon as I could, if I was you."

"The devil, hmm?" the Doctor said, rubbing his chin, "And is that what you believe?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Me? Nah. Not a religious man. I think its wolves. Must be some pack, lookin for easy food, and findin it."

"What if it's not wolves though? No bodies. Wouldn't you think there'd be bodies?"

Tom shifted his gaze nervously from the Doctor's eyes. "Gotta be wolves. Aint nothin else." He took a breath and then said cheerfully, "But enough talk bout devils and wolves. What can I get ya?"

"Got any hot cocoa?" Rory and Amy both piped up, their teeth chattering. Tom nodded and filled two glasses to the brim with steaming liquid which he passed to the couple who downed it hungrily.

"I'll take one too," the Doctor said, pointing to his slurping companions. Tom passed him a glass, topping it off with a healthy helping of cream.

The Doctor thanked him and said, "Another strange question, my friend, but what's the date?"

Tom cocked and eyebrow, but replied, "December the 11th, 1497."

"Oh. 15th century," the Doctor mused into his glass of cocoa. He glanced sideways at Amy and Rory. "Hope you like medieval times, Ponds, because we're going to be here a while." He turned back to Tom. "Missing people. The work of the devil. This I can't miss."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3!**

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Amy and Rory reclined at a small booth near the back of the bar. They'd managed five cocoas each and were now feeling rather sleepy. The coat was draped over them. Rory had an arm around Amy and she was curled up at his side.

They had been waiting for the Doctor for quite some time. He had gone back to the TARDIS to grab some proper clothing for this sort of weather stating that he didn't know how long they'd be staying and that he didn't want them to catch cold.

Amy had tried arguing with him to take them somewhere else, but once the Doctor set his mind to something, there was rarely anything that could change it. They were staying in Lampton to sort of the disappearances, whether Amy liked it or not.

Rory didn't seem to mind. He was just glad that they weren't someplace with vampires, or sirens, or aliens that wished to suck out his mind. He was viewing it as a sort of strange holiday with his wife, and the Doctor, who always seemed to be there.

"S'cuse me."

Rory and Amy looked up at the boy who had come to stand by their booth. He was young, about ten or eleven, with dark hair that he was constantly flicking out of his eyes. He was holding a piece of paper in his shaking hands.

He handed Rory the paper saying, "Sorry to bother you, sir, but I been told to give you this and tell ya that yer friend, the one with the hair, need to come by to me house."

"You mean the Doctor?" Rory asked, taking the piece of paper.

The boy nodded. "Yeah. Me dad wants him. Wants him to help me sister."

"Your sister? What's wrong with her?" Amy said sitting up and peering with concern at the nervous boy.

The boy looked down at his feet. "He says I can't say till he sees her." He glanced toward the door and then said quickly, "I gots ta go. Please tell yer friend to come." He tipped his hat and scampered out into the snow that had begun to fall.

Amy looked over at Rory, who opened the paper and read it aloud.

"Main road. Third buildin on the left. Please come. Tell none where you're goin."

"What does that mean?" Amy questioned, rereading the wavy writing.

"What does what mean?" Amy and Rory looked up at the Doctor who had appeared, a backpack in his hands. Amy passed the paper to him saying.

"A little boy gave us this. Said it was for you and that you needed to come and help his sister."

"Really?" the Doctor said, depositing the backpack in the end of the booth and sliding in next to it so that he was facing the Ponds. He examined the paper reading it over several times before musing.

"I think this mystery just got a bit more complicated. But that's good! I love a good mystery! Reminds me of Sherlock Holmes. I always wanted to meet Sherlock Holmes. I met Sir Arthur Conan Doyle once, but I always hoped that perhaps Holmes was real and that-"

"Yeah, that's great, Doctor," Amy interrupted. She pointed to the paper, "But what about this?"

The Doctor nodded. "Oh right. Sorry. Rambling wasn't I. Um." He furrowed his brow and rewet his lips. Then he hopped up and started to the door, yelling over his shoulder, "Better check it out! Come along Ponds! The game is on!"


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4!**

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They stood outside of the house indicated by the paper. It was a small abode, which looked like a sort of general store. A rusty sign, falling off of its hinges read, "Browning and Co. Goods and Friendly Faces"

Amy pulled her new coat tighter around her as they stepped into the shop. If it was possible, it was colder inside than it was outside. The shop was very small. An abandoned counter sat near the back, barrels propped up against it. Bags of flour were thrown in a corner, jams and other preservatives sat on dusty shelves. There was a winding staircase that led to an upstairs. A shiny bell on the counter caught the Doctor's attention.

"Hullo! The Doctor is in!" he cried, dinging the bell several times. He continued ringing the bell until a hunchbacked older gentleman came hobbling down the staircase.

"Whatcha want?" the man said, surveying them under bushy, black eyebrows.

"I was told to come here," the Doctor replied flashing the piece of paper at the man.

The man's eyebrows shot up and he exclaimed, "The boy found ya! Good for him." He started up the stairs. "Follow me."

The Doctor hopped up the steps after the man, with Amy close behind him, and Rory bringing up the rear. The man led them to a small room with an old bed situated in the middle of it. On the bed was a pale girl, with wild hair and dark bags under her eyes.

"Please sit down," the man said, motioning to a couple of chairs, which the Doctor and Amy took, leaving Rory standing near the door. The man limped over to the girl and whispered in her ear.

"This here's a Doctor, Maybelline. He's gonna help you." The girl stared at the Doctor with wide eyes.

The Doctor moved his chair closer to the bed. "I'm the Doctor. I'm here to help. Tell me what's wrong."

Maybelline took a shaky breath and said, "It got Charles."

"What got Charles?" the Doctor asked, his eyes moving over Maybelline's gaunt face.

"It. It took him, while we were out on the moor. Took his blood. Killed him."

The man bent down to the Doctor's ear. "She's been sayin that all week. Won't stop."

"And where is Charles now?" the Doctor asked the man, his eyes still on Maybelline.

The man bit his lip. "He's gone."

"Gone?"

"Gone. Disappeared after Maybelline was found. She had been wanderin the moors. No Charles."

The Doctor turned back to Maybelline. "Where is Charles?"

Maybelline whimpered. "It took him. Took his blood. Killed him."

"Look, Maybelline. I'm going to find him. I'm going to help you." He reached for her hand, but the man grabbed the Doctor's wrist.

"Don't." he said.

"Why not?"

"Cause she's not well."

"Of course she's not well! And I'm going to help her." the Doctor wrenched his hand from the man and reached out to Maybelline. His fingers touched hers, but they passed through.

"What?" the Doctor said, getting up quickly. He put a hand out to touch the top of Maybelline's head, but his hand passed through her. Her form became fuzzy and then came into focus again.

"What's going on, Doctor?" Amy asked, getting up from her chair and peering over the Doctor's shoulder, "Why can't you touch her?"

"I don't know," the Doctor said. He turned to the man who was looking at the floor. "Why can't I touch her?"

The man spoke to his shoes. "I don't know. None of us can touch her. It's like she's a ghost."

"When did this happen?" the Doctor asked, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and pointing it at Maybelline.

"Bout three days ago. One mornin I came in and she was like that. I couldn't touch her. Couldn't hug my daughter. Couldn't comfort her and tell her it was gonna be okay." The man wiped a tear from his eye. Rory patted him on the shoulder.

The whirring of the screwdriver filled the room and the Doctor ran it up and down Maybelline's body, then he brought it to his face and examined it. He mused.

"She's not a ghost. She's a shadow."

"A shadow?" Rory asked, coming to stand next to the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded. "She's a copy, an imitation. Her form is fading, leaving behind an imperfect version of her." He sighed and sat down on the bed.

"Isn't there something you can do?" the man asked, his eyes rimmed with red.

The Doctor shook his head. "I'm sorry. She's technically dead. No longer among the world of the living. She's just a copy, her essence kept behind in this form. A shadow of her past self." He passed his hand through her face, making her features blur and distort momentarily.

He got up from the bed and took the man into a hug. "I'm so sorry. But I promise you. I'm going to find what did this to her, and I'm going to stop it." He gave the man another quick hug and then hurried down the stairs.

Amy looked back at the girl. Maybelline was staring into the distance, her eyes cloudy.

"Come on, Amy," Rory said, grabbing her hand. She let him lead her down the stairs and out of the shop as the sound of the man's sobbing echoed behind her.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

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Amy and Rory met the Doctor outside. He was pacing back and forth, fingering his screwdriver nervously.

"What was that?" Rory asked, pointing back to the shop.

"I don't know," the Doctor answered.

"You don't know!" Amy yelled, "Well that's reassuring!"

"I don't know, yet. But I will. Just give me a moment." He fiddled with his screwdriver, adjusting the settings. The prongs on the screwdriver sprung open and the whirring noise filled the air.

"Yes! Got it!" the Doctor cried.

"Got what?" Amy asked, crossing her arms.

"A signal. Whatever killed Maybelline is still here. Come on!" he ran off in down the main road. Amy grabbed Rory's hand and they took off after the Doctor.

The Doctor led them to the forest at the edge of Lampton. He paused briefly at the entrance to the dense trees, and then he stormed ahead, the green light of the sonic screwdriver glowing ahead of him.

The forest was dark and eerie. Sounds echoed off the leafless trees. Animals scuttled amongst the shadows, eyes watching from the darkness. Amy stepped closer to Rory as they followed the buzzing sound in front of them.

The Doctor was running through the trees, his shoes crunching on the snow between the wooden giants. His eyes were fixed straight ahead, his screwdriver pointed out like a sword, glowing and buzzing. His keen ears listened for the changes in pitch that signaled how far he was from his target, whatever it was.

The device's whirring went high for a moment and the Doctor sped up, bursting into a clearing. He spun about, looking around the small, snowy meadow. It appeared to be deserted.

"The signal ends here," the Doctor said as Amy and Rory stumbled into the clearing. He looked up into the white sky, squinting and muttering to himself. Then he said.

"Look around. It's got to be here."

Amy and Rory searched the far end of the meadow, while the Doctor stepped lightly around the vegetation poking through the snow. They looked for what seemed like hours. Just when they were about to give up, Rory's foot bumped something hard.

"Uh, Doctor. I think you should see this," Rory said, bending down. The Doctor and Amy rushed to his side. Amy gasped and the Doctor's eyes widened. Lying in the snow was the frozen body of Maybelline.

"Oh my god," Amy squeaked as the Doctor bent down to examine the body. He brushed the snow from the face. It was contorted in terror, eyes wide, the blue lips parted slightly as though in a silent scream.

"She's been dead for at least a week," Rory said, examining the body.

"Isn't that about the time they found her on the moor?" Amy mused, kneeling by Rory and the Doctor. "But how can she be here and also back in Lampton?"

The Doctor whirred the sonic in Maybelline's frozen face and remarked, "The Maybelline in the town was a copy, sort of like a ghost. This is the real Maybelline."

"But the man said that he could touch her earlier. So she wasn't a ghost," Rory mused, looking down at the body with furrowed eyebrows.

"She wasn't a ghost yet. Whatever did this to her had enough power to make a physical copy that lasted a few days, but it started fading. The form wasn't entirely stable. But the question is, why did it make a copy of her? And where is it now?"

The Doctor looked up at the sky and then around them, his eyes searching everywhere. Amy and Rory hugged each other as they scanned the white landscape. They weren't sure what they were scared of, but the Doctor's words had set their teeth chattering, and not because of the cold.

"Let's head back to Lampton," Rory said, helping Amy up, "Maybe Maybelline can tell us what happened."

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't think so. She was fading fast."

"So you're saying she's gone?" Amy asked as they started walking.

"She was already gone," the Doctor replied sadly, "The woman that we saw was a memory of Maybelline. Maybelline died a week ago, and we just found her. Remember this location; we need to make sure someone comes to get her." He looked back toward the dark mass that was growing smaller behind them.

"Your compassion is overwhelming," Amy said, giving the Doctor a sideways glance.

The Doctor avoided her eyes. "We should get back to town before it gets dark."

They remained quiet as they began the trek back to Lampton. Each absorbed in their own thoughts. They were halfway through the forest when the Doctor froze, making Amy bump into him.

"Doctor!" Amy said, "What's g-"

The Doctor put a hand to her mouth and shushed her. He whispered.

"We're not alone. There's something out here."

"What?" Rory said, looking frantically around and stepping closer to the Doctor.

The Doctor pulled out his screwdriver and turned it on. It's whirring shattered the new silence as the Doctor spun around, pointing it at the trees. He examined it and his eyes grew wide. He whispered to Amy and Rory in a voice that was barely audible.

"Ponds, when I say run, run."


	7. Chapter 6

**Thank you for the reviews!  
**

**Here's Chapter 6!**

* * *

"Run!" the Doctor yelled, bolting through the trees. Amy and Rory both screamed and ran after the Doctor. They flew blindly through the trees, trying not to get separated from each other.

The Doctor finally stopped running when he reached the main road. He doubled over, panting like a dog, trying to calm his racing hearts. Amy and Rory weren't there. The Doctor's head snapped up. Amy and Rory.

"Ponds!" the Doctor cried to the dark forest, his eyes straining to make out his friends. There was no answer.

He tugged on his bowtie nervously and paced back and forth. How could he have lost them? They were right behind him. What if whatever had killed Maybelline had got them? He would never forgive himself if that was the case.

Suddenly there was a snapping noise and Amy burst from the forest, twigs stuck in her hair.

"Doctor!" she cried, throwing her arms around him.

"Amy!" He hugged her tightly.

"Where's Rory?" the Doctor asked as they came out of the hug. Amy's eyes widened and she squeaked.

"He's not here?" She looked back at the forest. "Oh god, Rory! Rory! Rory! Rory!"

"Was he right behind you?" the Doctor asked peering over her shoulder and into the darkness.

"Yes!" Amy cried, "Of course he was! Oh god, Rory!" She yelled his name again, wringing her hands, tears starting to fall down her cheeks. She turned to the Doctor. "Doctor. Where is he?"

The Doctor put his arms out and Amy ran into them. He patted her on the back and soothed her as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"Don't worry. I'll find him. I promise."

Amy pulled away, her eyes puffy. "You better find him."

"I will." The Doctor brushed her tears away. He grabbed her hand and began to lead her into town saying, "I think it's about time we found out a little bit more about these disappearances."

* * *

The Doctor burst into the pub. He stormed into the middle of the small crowd that was gathered there and yelled.

"All right! Listen up! Disappearances! Yes? You know about them. What do you know? Tell me now or I'll unleash a pestilence on this town. Well, no I won't. But you need to tell me because I can help."

"My husband's been taken!" Amy piped up, "And I can assure you I am far worse than any plague or pestilence you have ever seen." She glared at the men in the pub who looked genuinely scared.

Tom stopping filling a glass with beer and pointed to a man near the back of the pub. "Him, Doctor. He knows somethin." Tom averted his eyes from the man as though he were scared of him.

The Doctor looked to the man. He appeared to have his own separate section. The other men in the pub avoided him, casting worried glances at him. The Doctor looked at Amy and she cocked her head in the direction of the man. They joined him, pulling up two chairs and sitting down.

The man was clad in a dark cloak, the hood casting a shadow over his features. The Doctor cleared his throat and the man looked up. They could see his mouth now; it was turned up in a strange smile, his teeth poking into his bottom lip. The teeth were oddly sharp.

"Hullo," the Doctor said offering a hand to the man, which the man ignored. The Doctor pulled his hand back and then leaned forward saying, "They said you could tell me about the disappearances."

The man tilted his head. Then he spoke in a raspy voice that seemed to be coming everywhere except from him.

"You have questions. But what makes you think I will give you answers, Doctor." He said the last word with a smile.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said leaning back, "but have we met?"

The man chuckled. Then he got up from the table and motioned to a door near the back of the pub. "Might we speak in private, Time Lord?"

The Doctor nodded and the man smiled his strange smile again. Then he opened the door and proceeded down a long flight of stairs. The Doctor peered down into the darkness of the cellar. He pulled out his sonic and grabbed Amy's hand whispering.

"On my signal, Amy, you get out of here, you understand?"

Amy gripped his hand tightly and hissed into his ear, "I'm not going anywhere, Doctor. You can't get rid of me that easily." The Doctor grinned and pulled her down into the dark, closing the door softly behind them.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7! Sorry it's a bit on the shorter side. Hope you still enjoy it!**

* * *

The Doctor switched on the sonic screwdriver, casting a green light over the barrels that lined the wall. The man was seated on an old chair, which was situated in front of a table. There were two other chairs across from him.

"Please take a seat," the man said, motioning to the chairs. The Doctor and Amy sat.

"Who are you?" the Doctor demanded, shining his sonic in the man's face. The man pushed the screwdriver away. Then he reached up and drew back his hood.

The face that stared back at them was horrific. Scraggly blonde hair fell in front of burning eyes, the irises red and glowing in the darkness. The face was gaunt and sunken in, like a skeleton, though the flesh was still there, stretched out over the nose and cheekbones, a thin covering that looked as though it might break at any second. The mouth was thin, the lips stretched over teeth that didn't belong there.

The man spoke, his harsh voice coming from the horrid mouth, "I used to be a boy named Charles."

"Charles?" the Doctor asked, "As in the boy Maybelline talked about?"

The thing that was Charles nodded, "The boy and the girl where out on the moor at night, alone. Not a wise decision. He proved useful, she was not."

"What do you mean he was useful?"

"He was a worthy host."

The Doctor's eyebrows furrowed. "A worthy host for what?"

"For the Shar-nai."

"The what?"

The creature laughed. It's stretched features twitching. It stared at the Doctor. "Amazing, Doctor, that you are known by so many, and yet, you know so few of us." The thing sat forward, lacing its long, thin fingers together, "My race comes from beyond this world. We are what you call parasites. We cannot survive in our natural state. We must live through other beings. How fortunate it was for our ship to crash here on a planet so full of life. There was so much that we could take over, so much to infect. We stared small, insects and animals, but then we discovered the humans. They were so willing, so stupid, not even realizing what was happening, until we had control."

"So you just take over innocent lives, infecting them and slowly killing them?" the Doctor interrupted. The Shar-nai nodded.

"How many are you?" the Doctor asked, his eyes narrowed. The creature looked sad. It leaned forward and spoke in a whisper.

"Do you know what true loneliness is, Doctor?"

The Doctor's green eyes remained fixed on the glowing red ones as he spoke. "I have known loneliness that you can never know. Don't talk to me about that." He growled the last sentence. Amy grabbed his hand under the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

The Shar-nai's red eyes blinked once and it said, "I am the last of my kind, Doctor, as are you." It smiled. "But not for long."

"What do mean?" the Doctor said, sitting forward slightly.

"The infection has begun. Soon my race will rule this planet and humankind will fade."

The Doctor cast a worried glance at Amy before saying, "What about the shadows? Why are there shadows?"

"The shadows are merely a side effect. They appeared when we began our takeover of the humans. They disappear soon enough though, and we remain." The Shar-nai smiled.

"So both Maybelline and Charles are gone?" The alien nodded.

There was a brief silence as the Doctor and Amy digested the explanation. Then Amy spoke up.

"What about Rory?"

The Shar-nai turned its red eyes upon her. "He is not of our ranks, yet. But that will soon be fixed."

"Oh you just try and get him," Amy said clenching her fists.

The Shar-nai smiled. "I will not need to. He will come willingly, as will the rest of humankind." The creature's twisted smile grew wider and it turned to the Doctor. "Say goodbye to your precious humans, Time Lord."


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8!**

* * *

"I don't think so," the Doctor retorted a slight smirk on his face. He leaned forward. "You're dying. Charles's body is dying. What happens when he's gone? Where do you go then?"

"I will travel to the next host," the Shar-nai replied casually.

"And who would that be?"

The Shar-nai laughed. "All in good time, Time Lord."

"Time is mine," the Doctor replied, "And I don't think you have much time left. So bring forth this new host."

The Shar-nai opened its mouth to reply, but its words were drowned out by a crashing noise. The door had been kicked off its hinges. A dark figure came down the stairs, it loomed over the table. Its face was concealed in the shadows.

The Doctor stood up and pushed Amy behind him. He turned his screwdriver to the figure, shining the light into its face, into the face of Rory Williams.

"Get that bloody thing out of my eyes!" Rory yelled pushing the sonic out of his face.

"Rory!" Amy yelled. She ran to give him a hug, but she passed through him.

"Amy!" Rory yelled, trying in vain to grab her. They passed through each other again. Rory turned on the Doctor. "What the bloody hell is going on!"

"You said he wasn't infected!" the Doctor yelled at the Shar-nai.

The Shar-nai merely smiled and replied softly. "He's not."

The Doctor's eyes widened as he realized what had happened. He turned to Amy and Rory who were standing in front of him, confusion on both their faces. The Doctor cast his eyes upon Amy.

"Amy. I'm sorry," he said softly.

"Sorry for what?" Amy yelled.

The Doctor put a hand to his face and rubbed his eyes as he replied. "You were infected when you stepped out of the forest. You're a shadow."

"What?" Rory said, looking at Amy. He tried to grab Amy's hand, but he passed through her. She blurred momentarily. A dark shadow passed over Rory's face and he turned on the Shar-nai.

"WHERE. IS. MY. WIFE." He screamed.

"She is being converted along with the new host," the Shar-nai replied

"Along with the new host?" the Doctor said worriedly. "Amy's not the new host?" The Shar-nai shook its head.

"Who is the new host?" the Doctor said, his voice cracking. No reply. "Who is it!" he yelled pointing his screwdriver threateningly into the face of the Shar-nai.

"My, we are getting slow in our old age, aren't we, Time Lord?" the Shar-nai said mockingly. The Doctor's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Doctor! Amy!" Rory yelled. The Doctor spun around. Amy was blurring and distorting.

"No!" the Doctor cried, "She's fading!" He ran over to her and readjusted the setting on the sonic. Then he pointed it at her. She began to come back into focus. The Doctor turned to Rory.

"We have to find Amy. Once her shadow fades, she'll be gone." The Doctor went to grab Rory's hand in order to pull him up the stairs, but his hand passed through.

"No. No. No!" the Doctor cried, "Not you too!" He made a mad grab for Rory, but passed through him and fell onto the cold floor of the cellar. The Shar-nai's voice came from above him.

"Still not getting it, are we, Doctor?" The Doctor got up and faced the Shar-nai. He yelled loudly.

"Still not getting what? What am I missing?"

The Shar-nai replied slowly. "Humans cannot sustain a Shar-nai for long, but the new host. It will allow me to live forever. To live and infect, to create a new race of Shar-nai. To bring about the resurrection of my kind, through the death of another." It paused before saying, "Your time has come, Time Lord."

The Doctor's eyes widened in realization and he looked down at himself. Sure enough he was beginning to fade just like Amy. So he was the new host, and he was dying, dying somewhere else, along with the real Amy.

"Run away, Doctor. Run and try to save yourself and your precious companion. Run." The Shar-nai taunted him. The Doctor locked eyes with the red for a moment, before bolting up the stairs, Rory and the shadow Amy close at his heels.

They ran out into the brilliant white of the fresh snow. The Doctor shut his eyes and tried to think. He had to stop the infestation. But how? How could he stop something he was a part of?

"Doctor," Rory said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Not now, Rory," the Doctor hissed at him.

"But Doctor, I found its ship. That thing's ship. It's out on the moor."

"What?" the Doctor turned to Rory. "Show me!"

Rory led the Doctor to a field, similar to where they had found Maybelline's body. At the edge of the snowy covering was what appeared to be a small rock, sticking up out of the snow. Rory pointed to it.

"There. I found it when I got left behind in the forest."

The Doctor bounded over to the rock, which, upon inspection, wasn't a rock at all. It was the entrance of a crude spaceship, which could only belong to the Shar-nai. The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and was about to sonic it when he began fading badly.

In an attempt to stabilize himself, the Doctor turned the sonic screwdriver around and pointed it at himself. He adjusted the settings and pressed the button. The green light shone in his face, blinding him temporarily. He began to come back into focus. Once he was tangible again the Doctor whooped and yelled to Rory and Amy.

"Sonicing myself! Knew it had to useful at some point in time!" They remained quiet, their attention focused on the alien ship.

The Doctor aimed the sonic at the entrance to the ship, which opened with a grating sound. The Doctor bolted inside. The interior of the ship was a jumble of buttons and wires. The inner workings of the ship had been pulled out so they were clearly visible. A giant screen flickered feebly near half a jump seat.

The Doctor ran over to the screen, he pointed his screwdriver at it and figures and images came into focus. His eyes took in everything. The history of the Shar-nai, their records, the crashing on the planet earth, the search for a suitable host, which they had found in him.

"Doctor!" Amy's cry came from a hall which led to the back of the ship. The Doctor ran down it and into a room.

Amy and Rory were standing over two very familiar bodies. On the ground lay the Doctor and Amy. Their eyes were closed and they appeared to be in a state of hibernation. But there was something wrong with the Doctor's body. It twitched and convulsed, while Amy's remained strangely still.

"Doctor that's you," Rory said pointing to the bodies.

"It would appear so," the Doctor said, bending down by himself. He ran the sonic over his body and then Amy's. He snapped the prongs open and inspected the device.

"Oh dear," he said softly. Then he jumped up and turned to Rory. "We've got about ten minutes before the infection is complete. Then Amy and I will be gone."

"What do you mean by gone?" Amy asked, her eyes fixed on herself.

"I mean dead. Gone forever. Our bodies will belong to the Shar-nai, and they'll use mine to bring about a renewal of their race. But I'm not going to let that happen." He addressed the bodies, "Don't worry self, and real Amy, I'm going to save you. Somehow."


	10. Chapter 9

**Final Chapter! Thanks to all who reviewed this! Hope you enjoy the conclusion!**

* * *

The Doctor ran back into the main control room of the ship. His fingers flew across the buttons and levers. There had to be something here, a way to kill the Shar-nai without destroying his or Amy's bodies. Amy's really. He might be able to regenerate, but he didn't want to.

He soniced the screen again and flipped through the files that were saved on the main computer. None helped. There was nothing, nothing he could do, he couldn't think straight, and to make matters worse, he was fading again. Fading.

His brain went into overdrive. He was a shadow, he would fade, cease to exist, but what if he could reverse it. What if there was a way to change which one was the shadow. It was crazy, yes, but it might be possible.

He searched through the files on the computer. Shadows. The Shar-nai seemed to have little knowledge of them, aside from the fact that they had appeared when they had tried to take over the humans. They had a short life, eventually fading away completely. The Shar-nai thought them to be useless, simply an image of the human, but they were so much more. The Doctor should know, as he was one. It was almost as though the soul survived, if only for a short time, while the body perished.

It was like a signal being transmitted from both ends, the end with the Shar-nai just happened to be stronger than the human end, which is why the shadow of the person was eventually drowned out. But if he could switch the signal, turn the Shar-nai into the shadows, maybe he could save Amy and himself, and not destroy the Shar-nai in the process.

He searched frantically for something that he could use to reverse the shadow. His eyes passed over a tracker of some sort. A monitor, monitoring the Shar-nai in Charles's body, keeping tabs on it, making sure the body was holding. He looked to the left, two other monitors flickered feebly. Amy's and his.

He grabbed the three bulky devices, ripping them from the ship. He ran into the room where his other self, the two Amys and Rory were. He shoved Charles's monitor into Rory's hands, and Amy's into hers, keeping his own.

"I have a plan," he said, "But we need to get back to Lampton." He pointed to the bodies of himself and Amy, "We need to get these out into the open." He tucked the monitor under his arm and grabbed Amy's limp body by the wrists. He began to drag her toward the door.

Amy and Rory stood over the Doctor's jerking body. The Doctor yelled at them from the outside of the ship.

"Don't just stand there! Get me out here!" In a few seconds Amy and Rory had dragged the Doctor's body next to Amy. They lay there in the snow, the Doctor still twitching and moving about, Amy completely still.

"If everything goes according to plan we won't be seeing them again," the Doctor said, pointing to the bodies.

"But that's us, Doctor. The real us," Amy said, confused.

"Not for long. Not if we have these." He pointed to the monitors, "Guard them with your lives. And when give you a signal, close your eyes and don't open them till I say. Now come on, Ponds! We've got shadows to save! Geronimo!"

They made record time back to Lampton to find the Shar-nai waiting for them, standing in the middle of the main road, its spindly arms crossed, an evil smile on its gaunt features.

"Come to witness the rebirth of my kind, Doctor?" it asked.

"Come to stop it," the Doctor replied. He showed the Shar-nai the monitors. "Recognize these?" the Shar-nai's eyes narrowed. "That's right. Got them from your ship. As a matter in fact, we found quite a few interesting things on your ship."

"Did you?" the Shar-nai said, tapping its fingers on its arm.

"Yes, and do you know what else is interesting?" the Doctor asked, slowly bringing the sonic around to the monitor in his hand, "Shadows. Shadows are very interesting."

"How so?" the Shar-nai asked, his red eyes locked onto the Doctor's.

"They can disappear."

"Of course they can. And you will soon, Doctor."

"Oh will I?" the Doctor grinned. Then he soniced the monitor in his hands. He held the screwdriver above his head and said, "What happens when you shine light on a shadow? It disappears. Doesn't it? So what would happen if I were, to say, use my sonic screwdriver to cancel out the shadows that you made?"

"You and the girl would die," the Shar-nai answered, though there was uncertainty in its voice.

"Would we?" the Doctor said, opening the prongs of the sonic. The Shar-nai nodded. The Doctor grinned.

"Why don't we find out?"

He backed up so that he was between Amy and Rory. He grabbed the monitors from their hands and quickly soniced each of them. Then he gave the Ponds an overemphasized wink, shut eyes and pressed the button on the sonic.

A blinding light enveloped them. A scream could be heard; the Doctor hoped it was coming from the Shar-nai and not from Amy or Rory. The scream grew louder as the whirring on the sonic increased, both reached a deafening pitch, then the light disappeared and there was silence.

The Doctor opened an eye a crack. The Shar-nai was no longer standing in front of him. He bounded over to the spot where it had been, sonicing the ground and then smiling to himself as he realized the plan had worked.

"Doctor what happened?" Amy said, blinking at him.

He ran over to her and hugged her tightly proclaiming, "Oh nothing! I just reversed the signal of the monitors, therefore changing the signal of the shadows, and reversing which one was shadow, and drowning out the Shar-nai."

"So it's gone?" Amy asked.

"No," the Doctor said, proud that his plan had worked so well, "The Shar-nai is trapped in these." He waved the monitors in Amy's face, "Wonder how it likes possessing technology."

"But what about Amy and you?" Rory asked.

"What about us? We're fine! When I reversed the shadows, we went back to normal and our other selves became the shadows. Quick reversal. We're completely ourselves!" He hugged Rory happily and Amy giggled.

The Doctor let go of Rory, who immediately gave Amy a hug, which quickly turned into a kiss. The Doctor averted his eyes and looked up at the white sky. Snow was beginning to fall, it clung to his eyelashes and he stuck his tongue out to catch some, marveling at why he didn't do this more often.

"Come on you," Amy said, grabbing the Doctor's arm, "They'll be plenty of snow for you to play with later, but right now, I could really go for something hot." She intertwined her fingers with Rory's and the Doctor's and dragged them both in the direction of the pub.

"I must have you know that I'm very good at snowball fights," the Doctor said as Amy steered him toward the pub, "And I'm not afraid to beat you two. So you better not cry when you lose." He smiled mischievously at Amy and Rory.

"Oh we'll see who's crying in the end, Doctor," Amy said, "Because Rory's the king of snowball fights."

"I am?" Rory said. Amy kicked him lightly in the shin and he muttered, "Oh yeah, right. The king of snowball fights, sure."

"And no sonic screwdrivers allowed during the fight. Understand, Doctor?" Amy said as they arrived at the pub.

"Wouldn't dream of it," the Doctor replied with a wink.


End file.
